After having secured, at least for now, a narrow working majority in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s no-longer-minority Liberal government is widely believed to be readying the paperwork to reconfigure the current committee structure to reflect the new balance of power in the chamber, although as of Sunday afternoon, there was still no indication on when that proposal might make it to the floor.

As flagged by iPolitics’ own Marco Vigliotti, during a post-byelection back-and-forth with reporters last week, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon “wouldn’t offer a date for when he would move a motion to make the change,” but noted that ‘it’s pretty generally accepted that the composition of committees must reflect the composition of the House of Commons.’”

Carney also weighed in on the issue, telling reporters: “There’s a difference between real testimony, real substance, getting to issues, debating aspects of law, advancing — that’s the job of parliamentarians — and showboating. We’re going to have less of that. We’re going to have more substance. I think all parliamentarians in the end, we’ll appreciate that, even if it’s a change for some of them.”

A quick check of the latest notice paper confirms that, as yet, no motion has been put forward, although as Process Nerd pointed out last week, the Liberals may want to hold off on triggering what will likely be a highly politically-charged procedural fight until the three MPs elected last week have officially claimed their designated seats in the House of Commons, which could be as early as this week, depending on how long it takes for the results to be validated.

Over the weekend, Carney posted a 9-minute video to explain a principle he describes as “forward guidance,” which he developed during his tenure as a central banker, and “was designed to assure people that, however difficult the situation seemed on any given day, that we were acting — and, importantly, that we would continue to act with overwhelming force against our problems until they were solved,” he notes.

“Security can’t be achieved by ignoring the obvious or downplaying the very real threats that we Canadians face. I promise you, I will never sugarcoat our challenges. Instead, I will talk to you directly and regularly about our plan, why we’re doing what we’re doing, what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’re going to do.”

On the House of Commons docket:

As per last week’s preview from Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, MPs are start the week by circling back to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s latest bid to overhaul the laws on data access for law enforcement and intelligence agencies, which has already clocked in three days on the floor since making its second-reading debut last week. (Monday)

As yet, there’s no word on whether a cross-aisle deal is in the works that would get the bill to a vote by close of parliamentary business tomorrow, but Tuesday has tentatively been set aside to wrap up the remaining stages of the government’s plan to appoint a Commissioner for Modern Treaty Implementation — and, barring a last-minute scheduling change, kick off the opening round of debate on legislation to enact the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty on Wednesday.

MPs are also on track to vote on a Senate-backed proposal to regulate sports betting ads, which has been added to the queue for a make-or-break second-reading vote on Wednesday afternoon.

Outside the chamber: Members of the SCIENCE AND RESEARCH committee continue to explore the “implications” of a preliminary deal to allow a limited number of Chinese-made electric vehicles to be sold in Canada during back-to-back panel discussions with Sinopsis senior fellow Charles Burton, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association CEO Brian Kingston, Global Automakers of Canada CEO David Adams, Accelerate: Canada’s ZEV Supply Chain Alliance interim CEO Andrew McKinnon, Electric Mobility Canada CEO Daniel Breton and Transition Accelerator CEO Moe Kabbara (Monday p.m.), with University of Ottawa senior fellow Margaret McCuaig Johnston, Beauceron Security co-founder David Shipley. Unifor Local 222 president Jeff Gray and academic experts slated to testify later this week. (Thursday p.m.)

Over at CANADIAN HERITAGE, senior executives from Bell Media, Cogeco Media, Gonez Media, Groupe Radio Simard and Tri Cities Community TV will offer their respective and shared perspective on the state of Canada’s “journalism and media sectors” (Tuesday a.m.) ahead of what will likely be a highly-charged back-and-forth with CBC/Radio Canada CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard later this week that will also include commentary from Channel Zero president Cal Millar, Torstar president Angus Frame and The Hub’s Rudyard Griffiths. (Thursday p.m.)

Meanwhile, JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS members go through the fine print of Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s omnibus pitch to strengthen current protections against gender-based violence, add new measures to protect children and address issues related to court delays with Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime Benjamin Roebuck, as well as representatives from the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council, National Institute on Ageing and Valora Place. (Monday a.m.)

Later in the week, the committee will hear from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, London Police Service, Canadian Bar Association, Booth Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, Elder Abuse Ontario and Kindex Research and Knowledge Centre co-director Naomi Parker. (Wednesday p.m.)

For his part, Fraser is also booked in for a one-hour briefing session at the STATUS OF WOMEN committee, which is also reviewing some elements of the bill. (Tuesday a.m.)

Elsewhere on the committee circuit:

• A little over two months after being installed as Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Mark Wiseman will field questions on his mandate from FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT members. (Thursday p.m.)
• INDUSTRY AND TECJNOLOGY members will get an update on the “economic and supply chain impacts of U.S. tariffs on Canada’s metallurgical and advanced manufacturing sectors” from representatives of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers, Laval Tool and Mould Ltd., Liard Industries, Cap-Thin Molds and Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd. (Monday p.m.)
• INTERNATIONAL TRADE members hear from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Maple Leaf Foods, Canadian Construction Association and the Canada West Foundation, as well as academic experts Mark Mancini and Paul Daly, as part of their ongoing investigation into the state of free trade within Canada. (Thursday a.m.)
• HUMAN RESOURCES, SKILLS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT members take a closer look at the government’s proposal to establish Build Canada Homes as an independent agency with a mandate to “promote, support and develop the supply of affordable housing in Canada,” as laid out in legislation currently before the committee for review, with representatives of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canadian, Residential Construction Council of Ontario, Building Industry and Land Development Association, Ontario Home Builders’ Association and Toronto Community Housing Corporation. (Monday p.m.)
• CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION members crunch the numbers underlying Auditor General Karen Hogan’s recently released report on the latest changes ot the international students program with Canada Border Services Agency president Erin O’Gorman and senior departmental officials, with Hogan and her team also expected to be at the table. (Monday a.m.)
• Canada’s chief librarian and archivist Leslie Weir will share her perspective on the ongoing government-wide expenditure review process with GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ESTIMATES members. (Tuesday p.m.)
• FINANCE members explore the factors contributing to household debt in Canada with representatives of the C.D. Howe Institute, Canadian SHIELD Institute for Public Policy and the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals. (Monday p.m.)
• AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD members examine the “business risk management programs” within Canada’s agricultural sector with the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, Western Grain Elevator Association, Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and Grain Growers of Canada. (Tuesday a.m.)
• The “current state of civil resilience in Canada” will once again up for discussion — and, most likely, debate — at PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS as MPs host back-to-back discussions with representatives of the Canadian Constitutional Foundation, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Digital Public Square and Vote16 Canada. (Tuesday a.m.)
• VETERANS AFFAIRS members have blocked off at least two more meetings for their ongoing investigation into the controversial $573-million contract awarded to Partners in Canadian Veterans’ Rehabilitation Services, which was prompted by a Toronto Star investigation that “found some veterans facing severe mental health issues are drowning in the program’s bureaucracy, being pressured to change service providers, given inadequate care and facing threats to their benefits,” as the paper reported last month. (Monday a.m./Wednesday p.m.)

Rounding out the committee rotation, the SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING will hear more testimony on extending eligibility to individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness while the SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF POWERS UNDER THE BUILDING CANADA ACT will retreat behind closed doors to discuss unspecified “committee business.” (Tuesday p.m.)

Also on the radar: Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Valdez drops by the National Gallery of Canada to share the details of new federal support for “nearly 400 organizations … working to advance gender equality,” which, according to the advisory, is the “largest Women and Gender Equality Canada announcement in history by number of organizations receiving direct funding.” (Monday a.m.)

Later this week, Valdez will make the rounds of an evening reception at the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre in Mississauga, Ont., with all proceeds from the $300 ticket fee earmarked for the Mississauga – Streetsville Federal Liberal Association. (Thursday p.m.)

Back in the precinct, members of the Banyamulenge community are set to gather on Parliament Hill for a “peaceful demonstration” that, according to the notice, is “aimed at raising awareness among the public, Canadian authorities and the international community about the severity and persistence of the humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.” (Tuesday through Thursday)

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